The 115th SFG meeting will take place on Thursday 29 October 2026 as a hybrid event.
Meeting overview
The Autumn 2026 meeting will feature presentations and focused discussions on Changing Waters: Challenges, Knowledge & Solutions for a Resilient Freshwater Environment. The agenda has been led by SFG guest coordinators Prof Andrew Tyler (University of Stirling), Scotland Hydro Nation Chair, in collaboration with the HNC R&I Programme Team and key session chairs, with support from the SFG Leadership Team.
Foreword from our guest coordinator Prof Andrew Tyler (University of Stirling)
For centuries, freshwater environments have been shaped by shifting combinations of physical, biological and chemical stressors, largely driven by human activity. Today, the impacts of these pressures - both from historical legacies and emerging contaminants - are intensified by climate change and its associated extremes, including floods, droughts and heat. Together, these forces create complex and often non-linear effects on freshwater systems, with consequences for water resources, ecosystem health and human wellbeing that are not yet fully understood.
At the same time, water remains fundamental to economic growth and societal prosperity in a rapidly changing world. Addressing these challenges, while unlocking opportunities for green economic development, requires a new paradigm: a more holistic understanding of water at the catchment scale.
Achieving this has, until recently, been constrained by the inherent complexity of interacting system components, alongside fragmented data, siloed science and compartmentalised stakeholder needs. Data relevant to catchment management are often dispersed across multiple jurisdictions, misaligned in time and space, incomplete, and primarily designed to report status rather than support process-based understanding.
These challenges are inherently interdisciplinary. At this Scottish Freshwater Group meeting, the Hydro Nation Chair Programme will showcase how state-of-the-art technologies, combined with strong partnerships and collaborations across institutions, are delivering solution-focused approaches that bridge science, policy and practice.
Through interdisciplinary contributions and open discussion, the event aims to build a more integrated understanding of river health, identify practical pathways to resilience, and highlight shared priorities for research, collaboration and action across Scotland’s water sector.
Agenda
10:00 SFG115 Welcome and introductions
- Pauline Lang, Scottish Freshwater Group
- Fiona Millar, SFG Guest Coordinator - Hydro Nation Chair R&I Programme Overview
Morning session 1: What is the challenge - chaired by Fiona Millar, with support from Rebecca Lewis (SFG Team)
10:15 Prof Andrew Tyler (Scotland Hydro Nation Chair, University of Stirling) The climate and societal challenges facing our water environment, with an overview of projects funded to tackle these.
Morning session 2: What is our current understanding, with a focus on the River Almond - chaired by Amy Pickard (UKCEH), with support from Rebecca Lewis (SFG Team)
10:30 Chair's Opening Remarks: Setting the context for river health assessment within a changing climate
Amy Pickard will open the session by framing how 'river health' is currently understood, introducing the River Almond as a focal case study. The session brings together a series of focused contributions examining the river (in West Lothian) through a 24-month monitoring campaign,
10:35 Emerging evidence from integrated monitoring
A multi-dimensional picture of the River Almond's ecological and chemical status.
- Alison Brown (University of Stirling) - Pharmaceutical and pesticide residues
- Anna Doeser (UKCEH) - Macroinvertebrate communities
- Eulyn Pagaling (James Hutton Institute) - Environmental DNA signatures
11:15 Almond Futures: Linking Evidence to Catchment-Scale Understanding
- Mads Troldborg (James Hutton Institute) and Lindsay Beevers (University of Edinburgh)
11:35 Nigel Wilby (University of Stirling) Interpreting river system composition and health
11:45 Claire Miller (University of Glasgow) Harmonising datasets: challenges in understanding biological impacts at scale
12:05 Chair's closing reflections and plenary discussion, followed by open floor discussion
12:30 SFG poster and demonstration presenter pitches with brief introductions
12:35 Lunch break and poster presentation session with informal networking opportunities
- Guangyi (Martin) Ma (University of Glasgow) Simulating the impact of climate warming on greenhouse gas emissions in Loch Leven using the ALBM model
- Sean Dugan (NatureScot) Habitat health assessment of the River Tweed Special Area of Conservation
Afternoon session 1 - Delivering solutions for climate-resilient rivers and water systems - chaired by David Millar, with support from Rebecca Lewis
14:00 Peter Hunter (University of Stirling) The Forth Environmental Resilience Array: monitoring for catchment-scale insight
Afternoon session 2 - From research to outcomes: Hydro Nation Chair solutions for net zero and climate resilience - chaired by David Millar, with support from Rebecca Lewis
14:30 Chair's opening remarks: Translating Hydro Nation Chair research into action
David Millar will introduce how solutions emerging from the Hydro Nation Chair programme are responding to the climate and net zero challenges facing Scotland's water environment, setting the scene for applied, solution-focused contributions.
14:40 Vernon Phoenix (University of Strathclyde) Embedding circular economy into low impact solution for SuDS longevity and performance
15:00 Kerr Adams (James Hutton Institute) and Panagiota (Joulie) Axelithioti (University of Glasgow) The value of water and what lies beneath
15:20 Emma Bush (RBGE) Plants with purpose and the adoption of nature-based approaches for urban water resources
15:40 Open discussion Led by session chaiar
16:00 Andrew Tyler (University of Stirling) Strategic wrap-up summary and what the future/next steps look like
16:20 SFG Reflections, Announcements & Meeting Close - Updates from the SFG Team
**Followed by a social drink in the Meadowpark Hotel for SFG members able to join**
The meeting will be on Thursday 29 April 2027 as a full-day hybrid event.